An Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (Spring 2007)

Uncomfortable looking doll makes nation go "aww"

When I was a kid, one of my friends had a Barbie head that we were supposed to decorate in order to beautify. Beauty was a flexible term for what that Barbie head wound up looking like by the end of the makeover. We had the assumption that anything applied to her face was pretty; so beauty, I guess, was making Barbie look like she did a face-first dive into a mound of crap. On another makeover, we ended up cutting her hair to the point of no return, resulting in â€śnever-gonna-get-a-date butch Barbie.â€?

While pursuing the online purgatory that is â€śToy-R-Usâ€?, I have decidedly concluded that Mattel has smartened up. Rather than allowing the child to beautify Barbie, they have already put the permanent make-up on her. Not to fret, the child is still allowed to put MORE makeup on, but now they have the know-how as to wear to put the red stuff, and the green stuff. Thatâ€™s pretty generous. Furthermore, the website notes that the recommended age for this product is between the ages of 6 and 10. This is alarming. What kind of kid should be learning how to put on makeup (especially to the extent that is displayed on this doll) at the age of ten?
Truth be told, the only reason I decided to write on this particular doll is because of the name of the product. After laughing in my breakfast nook (to myself), I decide more people must know of the â€śMy Scene My Bling Bling Styling Headâ€?. This is most likely the most hilarious part about the entire concept of the doll. I mean, what 40-something corporate idea-person sits around and decides that including â€śsceneâ€? and â€śbling blingâ€? in a product name will enhance sales? Genius. Aside from my commentary, this is obviously startling in that girls and boys who want this toy must have some sort of understanding of what â€śblingâ€? and â€śsceneâ€? is. This puts into a heightened awareness of just how much hip and happeninâ€™ media affects everyone.
In any case, this product furthers the idea, and teaches children at a young age, that makeup is true to femininity. That in order to get ready for a hot party, your hair must be done, your makeup must be perfected, and that sparkling gemstones must be attached to every hole and limp on your body. Obviously this isnâ€™t the case to those that understand contemporary standards of beauty, but to young, impressionable kids that want to find a pop-spot on the grid of social standards, this is the epitome of their longing (I assume).